COMMENTARY ON GALATIANS

LESSON NUMBER 4

Chapter One, Verses 13-14

“For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.”

I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH

“ . . . how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it” (NIV).

              Why did Paul relate this aspect of his former life to the Galatians? Notice he did not go into an assessment of his life like men are wont to in our day. His testimony was part of his instruction. Paul is showing the Galatians the futility of living under the Law—of attempting to be justified through the Law principle. Not only this approach totally vain to achieve acceptance with God, it allows the individual to engage in aggression against the Lord’s Christ. This is an arresting consideration.

              Scripture apprises us of this phase of Paul’s life. Reviewing it will be profitable. “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2-3). “And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished” (Acts 22:4-5).

              Looking back on this segment of his life, Paul stated the commandment had actually slain him. He had no assurance of acceptance with God, but became a bond slave to a contaminated conscience. Here are his words. “And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (Rom 7:10-11). Thinking he did God service, Paul aggressively sought to rid the world of God’s people. Jesus said such things would happen (John 16:2).

              Paul thought he should do these things. It was a rational thing with him (Acts 26:9-10). The inferiority of a system of Law for justification is seen in Paul. The Law allowed him to oppose Jesus Himself because it effectively crushed any sense of acceptance with God. A defiled conscience allows the worst of sin!

MY FORMER MANNER

“For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism — NIV

              Notice, it was not a previous life, but a previous “way” r “manner” of life. This is not a description of his moral conduct, but his religious conduct. His religion dictated how he lived. That is why he lived “in all good conscience” even when alienated from Jesus (Acts 23:1). He does not mean by this that his conscience was pure, or that it did not condemn him. Rather he meant that what he did—even in opposing the church—he did thinking it is what God desired of him. Again, living under law allowed him to live incorrectly—after the wrong manner.

              Grace will not allow such living. It will effectively teach you what you deny, as well as what to embrace (Tit 2:11-12). Keep in mind, the Galatians had been seduced to returning to a system of Law in order to gain Divine approval. They were living by regimentation rather than by faith. Paul uses himself as proof of the vanity of this approach to life. The Galatians had only began the downward trek. Paul shows them that the path they have chosen can lead to aggression against the very people\of God—yes, even Jesus Himself.

              Peter tells us we have been delivered from this manner of life—one lived after the traditions of the fathers instead of by faith and through the Spirit. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19).

              The blood of Christ ratified the New Covenant, which inducted life upon a different principle. Our “manner life life” is now in harmony with heaven. As it is written, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Phil 3:20-21).

I WAS ADVANCING

“I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” — NIV

              Spiritual life caused Paul to cease pursuing a religious career. He had excelled among his peers, being “extremely zealous.” Yet that all counted for nothing once he had seen the Lord! One glimpse of Jesus changes our perspective of life. We then have a different reason for living, and cease to compare ourselves with our peers.

              Paul told us why he left what was profiting him. The grace of God enabled him to see greater things. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:7-11). High motives, indeed! Law cannot produce such aspirations, but only drives us from the Lord into, at best, the outer court.

              Lest it be overlooked, the Lord set Paul us as an example of what can be done in a person. He was a “pattern” to give encourage to those that came after him. This is how the grace of God works, constraining the disciple to labor more abundantly, all the while keeping a good conscience, and being persuaded of our home in heaven. “And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life” (1 Tim 1:16).

              Let every soul be aggressive to avoid entanglement in the Law from which Christ has freed us. It is for freedom that we have been made free, and we are to extend ourselves to maintain that glorious freedom (Gal 5:1).